Heavy flooding has inundated the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) headquarters in Bangkok’s Hua Mak area, damaging sports equipment and facilities while Thai athletes are competing at the Asian Games in Japan.
The Amateur Weightlifting Association of Thailand has suffered nearly 20 million baht in damage after floodwater inundated its premises beneath Rajamangala National Stadium at the SAT complex on September 25.
More than 150 steel lifting bars, competition flooring, training equipment and nutritional supplies were submerged, with the damage also affecting equipment due to be used at the EGAT Thailand Weightlifting Championships in Chiang Rai next month.
Maj Gen Intharat Yodbangtoey, honorary president of the association, who is in Nagoya, Japan, for the Asian Games, has ordered the national team’s training camp to be moved to Chiang Mai.
He also instructed the association to arrange for a cleaning company to begin salvaging the damaged equipment as soon as the floodwater recedes. The steel bars will have to be thoroughly inspected to determine whether prolonged exposure to water has altered their shape or weight and affected their compliance with competition standards.
Meanwhile, the Thailand Cycling Association has also suffered extensive damage after floodwater inundated the Velodrome at the SAT complex, where the association’s headquarters are located.
Gen Decha Hemkrasri, president of the association, said water had reached chest height in common areas of the Velodrome, causing extensive damage to equipment and property on the ground floor.
These included bicycles used by national team athletes, spare parts, tyres, watt bikes used for training and performance testing, office equipment, broadcasting equipment, walkie-talkies and equipment used for national championship events.
The race control room for track cycling was also badly damaged.
The association is scheduled to host the fifth and final round of the 2026 Thailand Track Cycling Championships at the Velodrome from October 9-11. Decha said the association would assess the damage before deciding whether the event could go ahead.
The flooding has also affected the Thailand Taekwondo Association’s premises at the SAT complex.
A vehicle belonging to national team coach Chatchawan Khaolaor was submerged after being left outside the association’s headquarters while he was in Japan coaching the Thai team at the Asian Games.
Association officials and athletes reportedly used an inflatable pool as a makeshift boat to cross the flooded area and reach the elevated Rajamangala National Stadium, where vehicles were moved to escape the floodwater.
The Hua Mak area, including Ramkhamhaeng Road and Ramkhamhaeng Soi 24, has remained heavily flooded after several days of rain. The area around Ramkhamhaeng University and the SAT complex has been among the worst affected.
Ramkhamhaeng University suspended lectures for all programmes on September 26-27 and postponed e-Testing because of the flooding.
In other parts of eastern Bangkok, including Khlong Chan and Lat Krabang, residents have reported high water levels, power and water supply cuts, and shortages of food and drinking water.
Authorities have deployed high-clearance military trucks, field kitchens, boats and medical teams to assist residents and prepare for evacuations, particularly of patients, children, elderly people and others requiring special care.
Main photo by Thailand Cycling Association
